Dream Work, a collection of forty-five poems, follows both chronologically and logically Mary Oliver's American Primitive, which won her the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1983. The depth and diversity of perceptual awareness - so steadfast and radiant in American Primitive - continues in Dream Work. Additionally, she has turned her attention in these poems to the solitary and difficult labors of the spirit - to accepting the truth about one's personal world, and to valuing the triumphs while transcending the failures of human relationships.

Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2010. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.